8 months old

Tyler Glenn - You are 8 months old!

Hooray for 8 months!

We have been to the doctor A LOT lately because you have been sick - probably for most of the last month!  You have had so many viruses and HIGH fevers...the highest being a few weeks ago at 105.3. YIKES. We never did get your second flu shot since you have to be healthy to get it and I think we're just gonna skip it this year. Flu season is almost over and next year we'll start over and get 2 for you. We go back to the doctor for your 9 month well visit on March 7 and I am anxious to get your stats. Last time we went you were right at 16lbs.

You are outgrowing clothes faster than I can keep up with! Every time I go to put an outfit on you, it is too short. I can't wait until your 9 month checkup in a few weeks to get your official length! You are starting to wear some 9 month clothes, but most 6 month clothes and 6-12 month one-piece outfits still fit. You have a little round belly and chubby legs now that we just love!

You are still in a size 3 diaper, but you have started to leak some at night. We are going to experiment with either a size larger or something with extra nighttime protection. (Would love advice from my Mommy friends on this one.)

You are still sleeping well at night, considering that you have been so sick lately. Even when you are running a high fever and you wake up several times, we will give you motrin and then just let you cry and you will usually go back to sleep within a few minutes. Yay! You are also a champ at falling to sleep on your own now at bedtime. We put you in your crib with your light-up mobile on and you watch it or play until you fall asleep.

You are a complete WILD MAN in your crib! You are all over the place and love to pull and play with your bumper. In fact, a lot of times you will pull it down and try to rest your head on it - Ha! Maybe we should take that out?! We put several toys in your crib for you to play with, too. Russ and I will watch the video monitor and just laugh. I wish it had a record feature!Recently, you had moved down to the foot of your crib out of view and then we just saw you launch your doggy pillow toward the other end of the bed! Your super human baby strength (as I like to call it) kicked in, I guess.

You still take a paci sometimes, but you seem to be losing interest in it. Not sure if that is because of teething and that it hurts to suck on it or if you just don't need it anymore. Regardless, you still love to play with it and one of your favorites games is flinging it around and taking it out of my mouth.

I stopped nursing you completely last week. I was only feeding you in the morning anyway and it was the right time for us. I am happy with my decision and am SO PROUD that I nursed for as long as I did. But the cost of extra formula and the extra time needed to make a bottle in the morning is definitely no fun! I cannot say that I always "enjoyed" nursing necessarily, but it was definitely a great decision for our family. I hope I can nurse again with any future babies we are blessed with.

Still no crawling, but you are the master going from sitting to tummy and turning around in circles to get things you want. You are pushing up on all fours some and rocking, but you haven't quite learned how to support your weight with you arms while you are up on your knees. We have to really watch you when you are sitting up on the floor because you will throw yourself forward on your belly and bonk your head. I feel like full-fledged crawling will come any day.

Things you LOVE:

• You are still eating really well. We have cut your schedule to 4 bottles a day (finally) with 3 "meals" and you seem to be adjusting well. We are really into mixing baby foods now. You have also tried a lot of different table foods this month - turkey, cheese, puffs, baby mum-mums, smashed bananas. You will eat just about anything we put in your mouth, but you always make this funny disgusted looking face when it is a texture you are not familiar with. But you almost always eat it and want more! You are still not quite grasping the concept of picking food up from your tray and putting it in your mouth - you will pick it up and play with it, but it doesn't usually make it to your mouth. Bonnie loves it when it lands on the floor.

Eating cheese and puffs

• We moved you into your highchair just last week and you love that, too. You will sit there and just look around the kitchen and take it all in. It's like you are observing things from an entire new perspective.

• We discovered balloons this month because of all the birthday partying we've been going to and you LOVE them! Daddy got you a mylar balloon on Valentines Day and you love playing with it. You yank on the string and look up at the balloon and laugh. And, of course, you like to eat it, too.

• You still love to play on the floor with your toys. You will be sitting facing one direction and I will leave the room for 2 seconds and come back to find you facing the complete opposite way?! I don't know how you do it!

There you go...starting to turn around.

• You have started to form an attachment for your blue minky and satin blanket. We give it to you when it's time to go to sleep and when you are really tired, you will pull it up to your face, roll to your side and go to sleep.

• You love to be thrown up in the air, bounced and jiggled. It is a sure-fire way to get a smile out of you! When Daddy picks you up from daycare, the first thing he does is throw you up in the air. You love it!

Flying with Daddy!

NEW things this month:

• You are getting all four of your top teeth! At the same time! Ugh. It has been painful for you, which also makes it painful for us. But they are all almost through the skin now, so I'm hoping the worst is just about past us. We are ready to be well - No More Fevers!



Chewing on everything trying to help
soothe those sore gums.

• You tried using a sippy cup this past month. You have only used it a few times and are doing well with it. We hope to get more practice in this month.

Taking a break from the sippy cup to smile for the camera!

• You aren't pulling up yet, but you are standing on your own! And you love it! You think it is so fun to beat your hands on whatever surface you are holding onto.

Happy to be standing on his own!

Daddy is right there to catch him.

Such a big boy! And check out his shoes!

• You have learned a few new tricks - you can shake your head "no" and clap. You shake your head all the time and it is so funny. You were clapping up a storm a few weeks ago, but now it is hit or miss. I am glad we caught you on video (previous post).
• You are a babbling MACHINE! Last night, in fact, you babbled yourself to sleep and were so loud...I could hear you in the den through your closed door. Ha! You are also making "m" and "b" sounds. You are still working on saying "mama". We heard you say it very plainly once, but you haven't said it again! Your absolute favorite word is still "dada".
• Granna bought a convertible car seat for her car, so she and Russ installed that. We have not made the move to our convertible seats yet, so it took some effort to figure it out...Tyler is still in the infant "bucket" seat in our cars. Granna is super excited now because she can pick up Tyler from daycare when she comes into town mid-day.

Testing out the car seat.



Granna practiced strapping you in 
so she can do it by herself.

• We are s-l-o-w-l-y starting to childproof the house, as we have time. Russ got the fireplace guard in place and we have several others things bought that we just need to install. We were also handed-down a couple baby gates and we are excited to have them when you do start crawling.

I am sure Tyler will be pulling this off soon. Ha!

• You have started reaching for people to pick you up - you lean forward, flap your arms and make this little whining sound until we get you. Occasionally while you are being held you will lean towards someone else to hold you, too.
• I am happy too say that you are napping great when you are at home. You will take a morning and afternoon nap for 45 minutes to an hour each, at least. Napping at daycare is still very hit or miss - one or two naps sometimes only totally 30 minutes. Haha! You are just a nosy boy that doesn't like to sleep!

Here are a few more favorite pictures of you over the past month. There are several of our 8 months "photo shoot" because I couldn't decide on my favorite.

A new favorite toy that suctions to your high chair.
And, yes - you have already figured out how to pull it off!

Sweet boy dressed in Sunday best!

Look at all his crazy hair!

Flapping your "wings".

You and that crazy tongue!

Nope, I don't want any more food!

LOVE!

Future Beethoven??

Playing is what I love to do!

Mom, get this crazy hat off me!

You pull the bottle in and out of your
mouth, slinging milk everywhere! 

So sweet. Love this little boy!!

If you can't tell by all the pictures and words, your Mommy and Daddy are so in love with you!